Bistrot Margot

SUCH a loss for Old Town. How does a bargain-​priced French restaurant go out of business?
A flood of soulless restaurant-​group «concepts» have opened over the last 12 months along Wells Street and I guess those appeal to the rural state transplants who grew up eating at chain restaurants who move to Chicago.
I wish the owners luck w/​their next venture. Hopefully someone will post a final review here that updates patrons as to any new place they open!

Incredibly underwhelming and honestly kind of gross. Soup was cold. Sandwich has a huge pubic hair in it (for real). When we got another it too was blah and unevenly cooked. Skip this place.

This place has a traditional French café feel. We went for brunch where I had the Florentine Eggs Benedict with perfectly sautéed spinach, tomato and hollandaise sauce. My husband had a poached pear, prosciutto and Brie sandwich. Both were very good. Our service was good and the prices were moderate.

Open for Thanksgiving. Everything was absolutely delicious and the service was perfection. Many Many stars!

I was taken here for a birthday dinner and had a great time. The ambiance is that of a classic French Bistro, the service is warm and friendly, and the food reminds me of something my mother would cook at home for me growing up. In other words, this is a restaurant that is unfussy and uncomplicated, wholesome, and fulfilling from the ambiance to the service to the food that it serves.
Having said that I would not particularly recommend this restaurant for a one-​on-​one date night spot as the seating seemed to be very open. I think the open-​seating lends itself very well to group dinners, however, and Bistrot Margot would be an excellent place to take family or friends visiting from out of town that want a relaxed meal to begin the evening.

I had a group of friends in town and we decided to do a group dinner at Bistrot Margot before a show at second city. It was 11 of us total and the service was terrible. We even pre ordered a family style meal to make it easy and it was poorly executed. The meal included 2 salads, 3 entrees and a few desserts.
They served us with one salad each for the entire table of 11 and we ran out. Instead of checking on the table– I had to ask for more. Then the hot entrees came out cold, which was the most dissapointing. Cold steak frites, salmon and French fries– it was disgusting. And again I had to keep asking for more food. We are not big eaters– it was a group of 11 older women and there was not enough food for the table.
People’s wine glasses were empty and I had to keep asking for our waitress. She was too busy watching the Cubs game and talking to the other staff.
I host many many parties and this was definitely the most dissapointing experiences I have had with a group dinner.
The only reason I am giving it any stars is because the actual food is usually very good when it is not sitting out cold for an extended period of time.

Food is fresh and great quality + the service here is unbeatable.
I stopped by for brunch over the weekend. Their special bloody mary has french onion soup in it and it is absolutely DELISH! I will definitely return just for the drink. For food, we ordered the nicoise salad and trio of benedict. Both very yummy. My salad came with a very generous portion of ahi tuna — they are definitely not stingy on it! I had a hard time finishing. It was cooked perfectly rare and the fish was very fresh. The benedicts came with a lighter hollandaise sauce which I prefer.
I’ve been here once before for dinner and the experience was also great. It’s a quieter more romantic setting for dinner which is nice. I feel like most restaurants are just so unbearably loud nowadays. I hate having to yell at my date across the table to have a conversation. I really enjoyed the mussels.
I’m very impressed with the service both times. Staff if very attentive and friendly.

Fairly positive experience but we weren’t too blown away by the food. I got the special of the day seafood bouillabaisse but it was rather lackluster. I grew to like it more. The fries that came with the steak were soggy and not very flavorful. The service was attentive and knowledgeable.

I guess if The Colbert Report can drop the pronunciation of the final «t» then so can Bistrot Margot.
This is a perfectly average French bistro with a classic bistro menu. The most notable thing about it was that I happened to be there on a Wednesday, when they have a three course special that allows you to select any appetizer, entrée and dessert for $ 29, a good deal.
I chose the escargot, the bouillabaisse and a berry cake with vanilla ice cream. None of them were particularly noteworthy, but they weren’t bad. The bouillabaisse broth could have used more flavor and fresher shellfish, but otherwise everything was fine, just not great.
Service was friendly, and the outside eating area is pleasant. No need to make a special trip here, but if in the area and you have a French craving, it might be worth a try.

Every single time I have dine at Bistrot Margot has been an unforgettable experience.
I found this Gem while looking for good french cuisine to take my wife celebrate our anniversary and the food and service made that a magical night. Cheese and wine, marvelous entrees and out-​of-​this-​world desserts.

We had reservations for 7:30, but a slow table left us hanging out at the Bistrot for half an hour while they waited to seat us. The manager was so nice and apologized profusely and comped our first round. The mixed drink menu is fantastic.
We did the pre fixe menu with an escargot appetizer. The food was amazing and our waiter was very funny and friendly, and gave us great recommendations for the local area.

Three friends and I stopped at Bistrot Margot for brunch on a Sunday morning. Located in the heart of Wells St (Old Town District), it’s within walking distance from Clark & Division and Sedgwick El stops. My first impression: wow, red décor !
All in all it’s a charming spot for a quick brunch engagement. There’s plenty of space inside, many tables to accommodate parties of various sizes. I ordered the lox plate which was pretty straightforward. Not as memorable as I’d hoped. However, the servers were kind, food quick, and the after-​meal cappuccino delicious.
⁴⁄₅ for this cozy neighborhood restaurant.

I came to Bistrot Margot with three friends last summer, definitely a hit-​and-​miss experience — though the hits were very good.
Escargots ($ 11) are a classic and these were well done, though I thought they weren’t the most flavorful. Maybe more garlic in the butter would have helped.
Mussels ($ 13) were delicious and perfectly done. The white wine beurre blanc was light but extremely flavorful and every mussel got a nice hit of flavor. These compare very favorably to some excellent moules I’ve had in Brussels.
I didn’t get to try the poisson amandine ($ 22), my friend seemed to enjoy the dish a lot and the fish looked flaky and perfectly cooked.
Filet mignon ($ 28), while good, was not all that interesting and the roasted potatoes had almost no flavor. The entire thing needed a bit more salt.
Dorado ($ 23) was excellent, the fish was perfectly cooked and although I don’t remember what the sauce was, it was addictive.
My lamb chops ($ 30) were OK, but slightly overcooked past the medium I’d requested and slightly tough. The mustard crust and side of ratatouille were great, the bland mashed potatoes not so much.
The restaurant is cute and beautifully decorated, I think I’d stick with the seafood options if I come back.

My buddy and I went here before going to the Second City at the end of January. The décor is charming and it made me smile as soon as we walked in. The menu had a number of dishes that sounded appealing to me and I decided on the shrimp bisque for my appetizer and the veal with dumplings for dinner. The shrimp bisque was average, however, the veal with dumplings was very memorable. I highly recommend the veal. For dessert we split the bread pudding and the chocolate mousse, and I’m sorry to say we were disappointed; the deserts weren’t horrible but boring.
I’m looking forward to going back for the Beef Wellington on Tuesdays, but I will skip dessert.
PS… A good friend of mine told me that this is a great spot for Valentines Day. He said they really do a beautiful job decorating the place.

This had been one of my favorite restaurants for oh so long. Finally I get to write a deserving review.
I’ve eaten here for lunch, brunch, dinner, Valentine’s Day and most recently during Restaurant Week when I was starving for lunch.
I tried two items from the menu that I’ve not tried before and it was well worth the $ 22 special prie fixe pricing. I ordered:
1. Soup Aux Oignons (onion soup)
2. Moules Frites (mussels and fries)
3. Tarte Aux Pommes (Apple tart) — I’ve actually eaten this a million times here and I’m excited to eat it again.
The onion soup is sweet and filling with a thick layer of Gruyère well crusted over on top. The croûton was well toasted, which I appreciated because I hate soggy bread. There was a perfect balance between salty and sweet and multiple textures that were interesting in a fun way.
The mussels were plentiful and the broth was so delicious, it was full of garlic and lemon flavors. Delicious, delicious, delicious!
I wish I could give 5 stars but my only complaint on this day as well as in the past is that there is inconsistencies in their salad making. The dressings have been tart with too much vinegar the past few times I’ve dined. My fiancé had the salad with bacon and the dressing was horrid. I have been obsessed with the endive salad in the past but I no longer order it because the dressing has been terrible and/​or there is a lack of balanced flavors between the cheese, apples and candied nuts that it comes with.
Overall this restaurant is romantic with good service and reasonably priced (mostly delicious) food.

I heard of this place ages ago and never paid any mind. I saw it recently on CLTV and it mentioned their accolades for the best cheesiest, French Onion Soup.
The dècore was beautiful and it is what one would expect for a French eatery. I’m in love with the floor tile!
We started with the French Onion Soup… Not the greatest at all, very disappointed after hearing all the hoopla on television. For my main, I had a beautifully cooked piece of white fish, the portion was HUGE. It was served on a bed of haricots and Yukon Gold potatoes. Between the salted capers in the sauce, and the heavy hand that seasoned the sauce, I could not get my lips to stop puckering for a week. I was so impressed by the lovely piece of fish that I didn’t want to send it back for another just in case I was served an inferior piece to what I was originally.
Sadly, no room for dessert.
Overall, a lovely place, great waitstaff, and a beautiful menu for just about every palate. I will be going back to have the fish once again, fingers crossed.

You can’t find a better quaint French restaurant in Chicago. This is our 5^th time here and still continues to nail it
It is what it is a quiet neighborhood bistro. Don’t expect servers to be white coated and falling over you it’s geared to be a family comfy restaurant with great French comfort food.
Steak frites is always a great choice. Or.
Roti poulet is always outstanding. The Onion soup is out of this world. Outstanding service as well. Definitely one of our favorite restaurants.

Great food and prices.
They have a fantastic lunch special where you can choose 2 between onion soup, a salad or half sandwich. This all comes with a mini crème brûlée. All of the food is wonderful. The deal is called the bistro express.
The waitstaff is always friendly and there is tons of seating. In the summer there is an outdoor patio.

What a surprisingly good restaurant. I truthfully didn’t have high expectations because of all the mixed reviews.
I originally walked over to Pinot Gigio but the line was so crazy and I was so hungry I couldn’t wait 90 minutes for a bowl of pasta…
So I headed to Bistrot Margot across the street.
I started off with the mussels because 1) who goes to a french restaurant and doesn’t eat mussels? and 2) the pictures everyone else took looked fabulous.
Now, I’m always apprehensive about eating seafood in this city because I always break out in hives from the lack of freshness — but I took a chance and… whew, I was safe! and boy, were the mussels yummy!
I ordered some sort of fish, which was awesome, and my dining partner ordered the steak frites which were surprisingly delicious! I’d be as bold to say that they beat mon ami gabi’s!
All in all, it was a wonderful experience.

Overall: Great food and a fun atmosphere and quality service make for a great dining experience.
The good: Great tasting food. Big portions and a decent amount of options. Food was hot and fresh. Great atmosphere with romantic music playing and a good setting and mood lighting. Lots of outdoor seating and apparently room upstairs too.
The bad: Prices are high. Was a 60 lunch between two people. The kitchen was noisy. The salads didn’t look very big.
Atmosphere: ⁹⁄₁₀
Service: ⁹⁄₁₀
Food: ⁹⁄₁₀